Self-centering holder for automatic tube filling machines and a jaw member therefor



Sept. 1, 1964 A. REICHERT SELF-CENTER G H AUT 3,147,018 OLDER FOR TIC TUBE FILLING MACHI AND A JAW 'MEMB. THEREFOR Filed Aug. 1, 1962 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR QUGUST RE/CHEET /t j I HTTO ENE V p 1, 1964 A REICHERT 3,147,018

SELF-CENTERING HOLl ER FOR AUTOMATIC TUBE FILLING Filed Aug. 1 1962 MACHINES AND A JAW MEMBER THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jlwdm INVENTOR. Qu us-r IPE/CHERT WwM i? United States Patent 3,147,l8 SELF-CENTERING HOLDER FOR AUTOMATIC THEE FILLING MACHINES AND A HAW MEM- BER THEREFGR August Reichert, 29 Bel-Wyn Place, Glen Rock, NJ. Filed Aug. 1, 1962, Ser. No. 213,987 5 Claims. (Cl. 279-35) The present invention relates generally to a machine for filling dry powdered or granular material, liquid or paste, into flexible tube type containers of various sizes and types, and it has particular relation to a self-centering holder for such machines as are completely automatic, which are capable of receiving the empty tubes from an automatic gravity feeding device and vertically centering them for cleaning, filling and crimping.

The types of filling machines, which are shown generally in United States Letters Patent Nos. 1,647,232, 1,872,686 and 2,310,413, use a self-centering holder of the type shown and described in my prior United States Letters Patent No. 2,574,157, issued November 6, 1951. Such machines required the insertion manually of the empty tubes in an inverted position into my holder. This manual operation of inserting the empty tubes in such self-centering holders was a very difficult one, requiring a very high degree of ability, dexterity and speed that few operators could be found to possess even after months of patient training.

With the advent of automation, it became necessary to conceive a new holder capable of receiving such inverted empty tubes from gravity feeders and hold them in vertical alignment for the succeeding operations, such as cleaning, filling and crimping. Due to the extremely light weight of the empty tubes and their fragility, the automatic feeding presented very difiicult problems. The empty tubes had insuflicient weight to drop far enough into a self-centering holder of the type shown in my prior Letters Patent to maintain a vertical alignment, and any amount of substantial clearance in the passageway of the holder to permit the empty tubes to drop freely thereinto was also sufiicient to permit them to tilt too far out of vertical alignment for satisfactory operating purposes.

The problem can be readily solved once the empty tubes can be gravity fed or dropped into a holder and temporarily maintained in vertical alignment. It is then an easy matter "to move the vertically positioned empty tube into a final fixed position that will be secure enough for the subsequent filling and crimping operations, while also maintaining said completely filled and crimped tube readily removable from the holder. With the empty tube being maintained in the first instance in a temporary vertical alignment, the next step or operation to be performed on it is generally the removal of any foreign matter, such as dirt, dust and the like. This is accomplished by inserting vertically into the open top of said aligned inverted empty tube a suction nozzle (not shown), which may be of any conventional construction. This suction nozzle is first used to force or push the empty tube further into said holder, whereby said tube may be held securely enough to permit the succeeding operations of filling and crimping.

With the present invention there has been developed a very durable, efficient and economical self-centering tube holder capable of receiving the light-weight tubes and maintaining them in a substantially vertical alignment or position, whereby a suction nozzle or a filling nozzle (in the event cleaning is not required) may be lowered thereinto. This nozzle may first be used to nudge or force said empty tube further into said passageway into a second and final position within said holder, whereby it will be held securely and firmly enough for the filling and crimping operations that follow.

An object of the present invention is to provide a simple, efiicient, durable and inexpensive self-centering tube holder that may be easily and quickly mounted on existing conventional filling machines that are suitably equipped with automatic or gravity tube feeders.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a self-centering holder having an open-top bore or passageway that has a series of eccentrically mounted and pivotal spring urging jaw members capable of receiving a lightweight empty tube and holding it in vertical alignment until it can be moved into a second and more secure vertical position having sufiicient rigidity to permit filling and crimping operations to be performed thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide a holder of the type described with removable spring urging jaw members that are provided with a suitable camming surface which acts in the first instance as a stop for the inverted empty tube when dropped into the holder, and which may be actuated by further forceful movement of the empty tube into a second and final position that Will clampingly secure the tube adjacent its top and bottom ends with sufficient rigidity to permit the carrying out of the heavier filling and crimping operations.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a holder of the type described with removable and replaceable spring urging jaw members which permit the empty tubes to gravitate a substantial distance thereinto for vertical alignment within the inner surface of said holder, and, which when the empty tube is moved into filling position, said jaw members will be pivoted whereby they engage the sides of the tube in spaced relation within said holder but free of the side surfaces of its passageway.

A further object of the invention is the provision of removable and replaceable jaw members for a self-centering holder having a camming surface capable of being actuated by a tube positioned within said holder to secure the tube firmly but removably therein.

Other and further objects and advantages of the invention, which result in simplicity, efliciency and economy, will be readily apparent from the following detailed description, wherein a preferred form of embodiment is shown, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals indicate like parts, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of an empty holder constructed in accordance with the principles of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the holder shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view of the holder shown in FIGURE 2, the same having been taken substantially along the line 33 of FIGURE 2, looking in the direction of the arrows, but showing an added empty tube therein in its first or gravity receiving position;

"I an FIGURE 4 is a vertical sectional view of the holder and empty tube shown in FIGURE 3, the same having been taken substantially along the line 4-4 thereof, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIGURE 5 is a vertical sectional view of the holder and tube shown in FIGURE 4, but illustrating the tube moved into its second or final position in which the filling and crimping operations may be performed;

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view of the holder casing with its spring urging means and its spring urging jaw members removed;

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view, on an enlarged scale, to illustrate the camming actuation of one of the spring urging jaw members resulting from movement of the empty tube from its receiving first position to its final filling and crimping second position; and

FIGURE 8 is an enlarged view of one of the spring urging jaw members, looking directly at its inner concaved surface which engages the sides of the empty tube by its spaced ends when contacting the same.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown a tubular metal holder 10, which is adapted to be mounted on a suitable conventional support (not shown) but provided on all tube filling and crimping machines of the class herein before described and referred to in the previously mentioned Letters Patent.

The holder 10 has an upper or top section 12 and an enlarged lower or base section 14. The upper section 12 is provided with an integrally formed enlarged radial flange 16. The holder 10 has a slightly inwardly tapering passageway or aperture 18 extending therethrough for receiving an inverted empty tube 19 for filling and crimping. The inverted tube 19 is provided with an integrally formed breakable seal 21 and is also conventionally threaded for a cap (not shown). The upper end of the aperture or passageway 18 is flared or rounded outwardly, as indicated at 20. The lower inner end of the sides of the holder 10 is provided with a reduced inward decline 22 against which an inwardly declining shoulder 24 of the inverted tube 19 will abut when the neck portion 25 projects through the bottom of the passageway 18 in its second or final filling and crimping position. (See FIG. 5.) The bottom of the holder 10 has an enlarged truncated axial recess, as indicated at 26.

In the new automatic machines, it is no longer necessary to insert the empty tubes 19 in an exact position for the filling and crimping operations. This is now accomplished by the operation of the conventional tube support, which forms no part of this invention, but is made rotatable. The rotation of the tube holder support is controlled through an electric eye, which adjusts the support according to a visual indicator placed upon the upper edge of the empty tubes, whereby it will be covered up during the final crimping operation.

A series of circumferentially spaced elongated apertures or slots 28 are formed through the sidewalls of the holder 10. Each slot 28 receives a removable and replaceable clamping jaw member 30. It will be noted that the slots 28 extend substantially the length of the holder or from the base of the curved upper end 20 to the top surface of the radial flange 22, which partially closes the lower end of the passageway 18. The opposite ends of the jaw member are arched or rounded, as indicated at 29 and 31.

One of the jaw members 30, which is best shown in FIGURES 7 and 8, is adapted to be mounted externally of the holder 10 within each of said slots 28. The jaw member 30 is concaved slightly transversely on its inner surface, to facilitate engagement with the correspondingly concaved sides of the tube 19 when the same is positioned therein. However, if the number of jaws were increased and the width of their clamping faces decreased sufliciently, it would be obvious that it would not be necessary to arcuately shape such inner surface. The opposite ends 39 and are rounded to correspond with the rounded or arched ends 2? and 31 of the slots 28.

Each jaw member 38 is of a substantial length as compared to its width and thickness dimensions, and is provided with laterally extending flanges 42 and 44 for limiting the distance its front side may be projected through a slot 28 in said holder 10. Each jaw member 30 has an inner front side which projects through the slot 28 in said holder 10 into its axial passageway 18 for engagement with the empty tube 19 positioned therein.

It will be noted that the inner front side has spaced ends 36 and 43 projecting slightly forwardly for engagement with the tube 19. The end sections 35 and 48 lie in the same vertical plane, as best shown in FIG. 5 when the tube 19 is pushed into its second or final filling and crimping position. The intermediate surfaces 37 and 46 of the front side of the jaw member 36 are inclined inwardly from said opposite ends 36 and 48, forming a suitable camming surface. The lower intermediate section 48 is inclined inwardly at a sharper angle than the upper intermediate section 37, and serves as a stop for the first position of the gravity discharged tube 19, as indicated in FIGURE 7 in dotted lines.

The shape of the intermediate surfaces 37 and 46 between the ends 36 and 48 is not critical, but these surfaces must be inside of the plane of the ends 36 and 43. A single arcuate and concaved indentation between the ends 36 and 48 could be formed to provide a stop position for the incoming tube 19, which could likewise act as a camming surface to pivot said jaw member 30 when greater force is applied to push the tube 19 into its second or filling and crimping position.

The enlarged base section 14 of the holder 10 is slotted, as indicated at 61, which slots 61 are in alignment with the slots 28 in the holder 10. The slots 61 have no function in the operation of the holder 10, but were required in order to provide room for the passage of the necessary tools used in cutting the lower aligned ends of the inner slots 28. Obviously, the slots 61 reduce the overall weight of the holders 10.

The top inner edge of the enlarged base section 14 is provided with an open top annular groove 63 contiguous to the outer side of the reduced upper section 12. The groove 63 declines slightly inwardly, forming an overhanging edge consisting of a series of spaced abutments 65 that are integral with the upper section 12 between said slots 28. The abutments 65 serve as upper stops for a circular spring 67 that is mounted within said groove 63.

The spring 67 is of the coiled endless garter type and is mounted circumferentially over the outside of the holder 10 within the groove 63 and over the back sides of the jaw members 30 mounted within said slots 28. The spring 67 engages said jaw members 30 below their pivotal points, as indicated at 69 in FIGURE 7. The spring 67 may be made of any strength without danger of its spring-urging pressure forcing the inner surfaces of the jaw members 30 too tightly against the sides of the tube 19 as to mar or disfigure the same. The lateral flanges 42 and 44 will limit the inward movement of said jaw members 30 regardless of the amount of spring urging pressure that may be applied thereto.

The holders 10 must be especially made for use with a specific size and type of tube 19 to be filled. Every different size and type of tube 19 will require a holder having a corresponding size and type of receiving passageway. Obviously, the holders 10 must be mounted re movably to permit quick and easy changing when neces sary. With this arrangement and construction, a single filling and crimping machine may be used conveniently for filling and crimping different sizes and types of tubes by merely changing its holders.

The aligning jaw members 30 must also be made readily removable since they are subject to excessive wear due to their constant frictional contact with the tubes 19 being filled. By making these jaw members 30 readily removable, an entirely new set of jaw members may be quickly and easily substituted for the worn jaw members without discarding the entire holder.

In the operation of the filling and crimping machines equipped with holders of the present invention, the empty tubes 19 are delivered in an inverted position and dropped in any suitable manner into the open tops of the passageway 18 of the holders 10. Whereupon such empty tubes 18 will gravitate into said passageway 18 until the lowermost shoulder 24 of the inverted tube 19 strikes the top portion of the intermediate angular section 46, as best shown in FIGURE 7. At this point, it will be noted that the inverted tube 19 is in a substantially vertical position with its upper sides' in direct contact with the upper inner surface of the slightly tapered passageway 18. The tube 19 now extends into the holder 10 a sufficient distance to maintain its vertical alignment or position, which is best shown in FIGURE 4.

With the tubes 19 vertically mounted in their first position within said holders 10, as best shown in FIG- URE 4, they are in a position to receive the end of a con ventional suction nozzle (not shown), which may be nothing more than the end of a small tube that is projected vertically into the open top end of said tube 19. This suction nozzle is lowered into the open top of the tube 19 to remove any foreign particles, such as dirt, dust and the like, therefrom before the filling and crimping operations begin. As the nozzle is lowered into the empty tube 19, its lower and foremost end strikes the reduced neck or shoulder 24 of the tube 19, forcing it downwardly from the first position shown in FIGURE 4 to its second position shown in FIGURE 5.

The movement of the empty tube 19 by the projecting end of the suction nozzle (not shown) to its second or final position, will cause the upper end of the shoulder 24 to engage the cam surface 46 of said jaw member 30, forcing it downwardly and outwardly whereby it is caused to rotate around its pivotal point 69, thereby bringing its upper inner end 36 into direct contact with the outer opposite side surface of the tube 19. When this camming action has been completed, it will be noted that the neck of the tube 19 projects through the reduced opening of the passageway 18 in the bottom of the holder 10, and the tube 19 is now being held vertically within the holder 10 entirely by the jaw members 30. The sides of the tube 19 are no longer in contact with the sides of the passageway 18 of the holder 10. In this position, while the tube is still mounted removably by the jaw members 30 within the holder 10, it is held with suflicient rigidity to permit the necessary filling and crimping operations to be performed.

When the filling and crimping of the tube 19 has been completed, it is ready for removal from the holder 10 in any conventional manner, as for example, by securing its crimped top edge in any suitable clamping device for vertical withdrawal from said holder 10. Manifestly, when the tube 19 is withdrawn from the passageway 18 of the holder 10, the neck or shoulder 24 will no longer be engaging the lower camming surface 46 and 48 of the jaw members 30, whereupon, the spring 67 will cause the jaw members 30 to rotate, returning from the pivotal position shown in FIGURE 5 back to the position shown in FIGURE 7. The holder 10 is now ready to receive its next succeeding empty tube 19.

In actual practice on high speed filling and crimping machines, the holders 10 have been filled by gravity at speeds higher than could be accomplished by manual filling. At the same time, there was a substantial reduction in the number of tubes damaged during the filling and crimping processes. Holders of the type herein described permit greater tolerances in tubes while assuring an accurate vertical alignment at all times.

Although I have only described in detail one form which the invention may assume, it will be ready apparent to those skilled in the art that the same need not f3 be so limited, but that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

1. A self-centering holder of the class described having a passageway for receiving an inverted tube, a series of circumferentially spaced elongated slots extending radially through the sides of said holder to said passageway, an elongated jaw member mounted within each of said slots, spring urging means engaging said jaw members intermediate their ends to removably secure them pivotally within said slots with their inner lower ends normally projecting into said passageway, whereby when a tube is dropped into said passageway it will be stopped by said inner lower protruding ends of said jaw members, and, when said tube is forced beyond said protruding inner lower ends of said jaw members, said ends will be forced outwardly pivoting the inner upper ends thereof on said spring urging means inwardly through said slots into said passageway and into vertical alignment with said inner lower ends, whereupon said tube will be held in vertical alignment within said passageway by said spaced inner upper and lower ends of said jaw members.

2. A removable and replaceable jaw member for a self-centering tube holder of the class described having a substantial length as compared to its width and thickness dimensions, said jaw member having laterally extending flanges which will limit the distance to which its front side may be projected through a slot, the inner front side of said jaw member having its opposite ends projecting forwardly thereof in the same plane, and the surface of said front side between said ends being inclined inwardly to form a suitable camming surface.

3. A removable and replaceable jaw member for a self-centering tube holder of the class described having a substantial length as compared to its width and thickness dimensions, said jaw member having laterally extending flanges in the plane of its outer surface for limiting the distance to which its front side may be projected through a slot, the inner front side of said jaw being concaved transversely, said inner front side of said jaw member having longitudinally spaced ends projecting forwardly, said spaced projecting ends of said jaw member being in the same plane, and the surface of said front side between said ends being inclined inwardly from said ends to form a suitable camming surface.

4. A self-centering holder of the class described having a passageway for receiving an inverted tube, a series of circumferentially spaced elongated vertical slots extending through the sides of said holder to said passageway, a jaw member mounted within each of said slots, said jaw members having an inner surface that is arcuate transversely, spring urging means encircling said holder and mounted below the transverse axis of said jaw members for urging their lower ends into said passageway while maintaining their upper ends within said slots, whereby when a tube is dropped into said passageway it will be stopped by said lower ends of said jaw members and be aligned vertically within said passageway, and, when the tube is forced therebeyond the protruding ends of said jaw members, it will cause the lower ends of said jaw members to pivot outwardly and the upper ends of said jaw members to pivot inwardly, whereby the tube is now held firmly but releaseably in vertical alignment within said passageway entirely by said jaw members.

5. A self-centering holder of the class described having an axial passageway extending vertically therethrough for receiving an inverted tube, a series of circumferentially spaced elongated vertical slots extending through the sides of said holder to said passageway, said slots extending substantially the length of said holder, a jaw member mounted within each of said slots, each of said jaw members having opposite inner ends aligned in one plane for holding a tube within said passageway, means mounted on said holder and engaging said jaw members below their pivotal axis for urging the lower ends of said jaw members within said passageway while maintaining their upper ends within their respective slots, whereby when a tube is dropped into said passageway it will be stopped by said lower ends of said jaw members and be aligned vertically within said passageway, said jaw members being pivoted when a tube is forced beyond their lower ends to bring their upper ends into vertical alignment with said lower ends within said passageway, whereby the tube is now held firmly but releasably in vertical alignment within said passageway by the spaced ends of said jaw members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Forster Apr. 24, Walker Dec. 25, Reichert Nov. 6, Engel Oct. 21, Buck May 20, Garrison Mar. 24,

FOREIGN PATENTS Germany Nov. 17, 

1. A SELF-CENTERING HOLDER OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED HAVING A PASSAGEWAY FOR RECEIVING AN INVERTED TUBE, A SERIES OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY SPACED ELONGATED SLOTS EXTENDING RADIALLY THROUGH THE SIDES OF SAID HOLDER TO SAID PASSAGEWAY, AN ELONGATED JAW MEMBER MOUNTED WITHIN EACH OF SAID SLOTS, SPRING URGING MEANS ENGAGING SAID JAW MEMBERS INTERMEDIATE THEIR ENDS TO REMOVABLY SECURE THEM PIVOTALLY WITHIN SAID SLOTS WITH THEIR INNER LOWER ENDS NORMALLY PROJECTING INTO SAID PASSAGEWAY, WHEREBY WHEN A TUBE IS DROPPED INTO SAID PASSAGEWAY IT WILL BE STOPPED BY SAID INNER LOWER PROTRUDING ENDS OF SAID JAW MEMBERS, AND, WHEN SAID TUBE IS FORCED BEYOND SAID PROTRUDING INNER LOWER ENDS OF SAID JAW MEMBERS, SAID ENDS WILL BE FORCED OUTWARDLY PIVOTING THE INNER UPPER ENDS THEREOF ON SAID SPRING URGING MEANS INWARDLY THROUGH SAID SLOTS INTO SAID PASSAGEWAY AND INTO VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAID INNER LOWER ENDS, WHEREUPON SAID TUBE WILL BE HELD IN VERTICAL ALIGNMENT WITHIN SAID PASSAGEWAY BY SAID SPACED INNER UPPER AND LOWER ENDS OF SAID JAW MEMBERS. 